Combination or permutation locks are frequently used to secure luggage and attache cases. The combination lock disclosed in U.S. Gehrie Pat. No. 3,416,338; granted Dec. 17, 1968, has enjoyed considerable commercial success for these applications. However, whereas with a combination lock of this type the viewing of the indicia on the rotatable dials is normal and natural when the lock is used for luggage and attache cases, the viewing of the indicia is awkward and unnatural when the lock is used on a briefcase.
For luggage cases and for attache cases, the hasp is secured to one of the hinged sections and the lock to the other section so that when the case is closed, the indicia are upright or horizontally arranged for reading from left to right. This is a natural way to read except in China and Japan. For the briefcase application, the hasp is secured to a flexible member connected to one side of the case for cooperation with the lock secured to the other side of the case. In the combination lock of the aforementioned Gehrie patent, the latch member moves in a direction parallel to the axis of rotation of the dials or in a plane perpendicular to the sides of the dials so that in the briefcase application the indicia on the dials are oriented 90.degree. from the horizontal, and must be viewed sideways. It would seem that the combination lock disclosed in the Gehrie Patent could be modified for use in briefcases by simply repositioning the indicia on the dials 90.degree. so that the indicia would be viewable in upright position. However, this would result in the indicia or numbers being arranged one above the other in a vertical plane. Reading in this manner is unnatural for persons educated in Occidental countries.
U.S. Heine Pat. No. 3,800,571; granted Apr. 2, 1974, discloses a combination lock in which the hasp is positioned for engagement with a latch member in the context of a pivotally mounted bolt member which is cooperable with the latch member. The position of the bolt member is responsive to the position of sleeve means related to the dials for the "on combination" and "off combination" conditions of the lock. The bolt member and the latch member are constructed for interlocking engagement in the "off combination" of the lock, and the latching member is spaced longitudinally from the dials. This combination lock has the same limitation as the lock disclosed in the aforementioned Gehrie Patent in that it is not suitable for use in a briefcase or the like; the indicia on the dials are not suitably oriented, and merely changing the orientation of the indicia on the dials would not cure the situation.